The freebie has become a staple part of trade shows and exhibitions. Like it or not, promotional gifts are extremely popular - virtually no-one goes home empty-handed, so you might as well throw your brand into the mix and enjoy the many benefits they bring. If you’re spending hundreds or, more likely, thousands of pounds exhibiting at a trade show in the first place, then promotional gifts will cost just a small proportion of that budget. Here are the reasons why they are worth the investment.

1. They work!

A study by the Georgia Southern University found that 71.6% of those surveyed who’d been given a promotional gift remembered the name of the company. The same study found that 76.3% of delegates had a more favourable attitude towards the brand. That’s a huge percentage of goodwill!

2. They make people happy

People love gifts! They not only make those receiving them smile, they’ll also help enhance their opinion of your brand. You want them to display and/or use your promotional gift when they get back to work, which means your brand will always be in their minds, making it more likely they’ll get in touch if they ever need your services or products.

3. They bring more people to your stand

If you have a popular freebie, you’ll definitely get attention. A good gift will encourage people to come to your stand, and that will give you the chance to talk to them. The more people who visit, the busier your stand will look, and a busy stand always attracts even more people to it. Success breeds success!

4. They enhance brand awareness

Make sure your gifts are clearly branded so your name will be visible to other visitors at the trade show. Remember that people will probably put small freebies straight into a bag, so if you want your logo to stand out at the event, why not have the bag itself as your giveaway? Cotton tote bags are always popular as they are eco-friendly and have the potential to be reused many times, meaning your brand will have the chance to be seen by even more people - you never know who’ll see your logo in a supermarket queue! To give you continued brand awareness, make sure your gift is a practical one so when the recipients get back to the office they will use it. This will not only keep your brand in their mind, it will also increase awareness of it among their colleagues.
 

5. They reflect your brand

Remember that whatever you decide to give away, it needs to reflect your brand. There’s no point in telling clients you offer high-quality products or services, and then handing them something that appears cheap and down-market because you’ll be giving mixed messages. If Corporate Social Responsibility is important to your organisation, think about using recycled or eco-friendly products, which are becoming more and more popular.

Just ask us if you need any advice on promotional gifts for your next trade show!